Types of Fostering

In Worcestershire there are various ways in which foster carers can give support to local children and their families, all of which are greatly valued.

There is no such thing as a typical fostering situation and the care of a child or children could last anything from a few days to several years.

Children and young people come into public care for a variety of reasons, and most of them return home after a relatively short period of time.

At the other extreme, if the child cannot return to their birth family, and the decision is to look for an adoptive home, this will be carefully planned. It is likely that foster carers will look after the child and help them think about what the future holds whilst a new, permanent family is found for them.

There are many situations which fall in between those described above, and if you decide to progress through the approval process in order to become a foster carer, you will have plenty of opportunity to explore which type of fostering would be right for you and your family.

Further information on the different types of fostering can be found by following these links:

 Short Term, or Task Centred, Fostering
 Long Term Fostering
 Respite Fostering
 Parent & Child Placements
 Contract Care

Short Term, or Task Centred Fostering

Some children need to be cared for away from their home for a short period of time. This is often so that decisions can be made about their future. If there are brothers and sisters, every effort is made to keep siblings together in the same foster family – sadly this can't always happen. It is important for us to find as many foster carers as possible who could consider caring for more than one child at a time.

There is no typical reason for a child or children needing to be looked after by a foster carer. We will always try to keep children with their families and offer support to enable this to happen, rather than look after them away from their homes and families. When children do need to be cared for away from their homes, this could be because their family is experiencing a crisis, and has requested that their child is looked after for a short time while they sort out their difficulties. Alternatively, children may have experienced some form of abuse, trauma or neglect which has resulted in them being placed elsewhere for their own safety.

Children who are looked after by foster carers in the short term can be any age. All children will experience distress at being separated from their family and are likely to show some emotional reaction to this. Short term fostering can be for a period of days, weeks or sometimes months. Sometimes decisions about the child's future cannot be made quickly and placements can last a year or longer. Generally most children return to the care of their family unless it is unsafe for them to do so.

Long Term Fostering

If a child is unable to return to the care of their birth family, but adoption is not appropriate for that child, long term foster carers may need to be found to care for them.

As the title suggests, these foster carers will normally care for a child for a longer period of time than a short term carer – often through to independence. Children who need long term fostering are likely to be older children (not usually younger than 7 years old). These older children may benefit from keeping in regular contact with their brothers, sisters, parents and wider family.

Children in long term placements may stay with their foster carers until they leave home to live independently. However, it may be that changes occur and decisions can be made which result in a child returning to the care of their parents earlier than expected.

Long term fostering allows children and young people to live with a family where they can feel secure and experience a stable family environment, while maintaining contact with their birth family where that's right for them. Foster families who can open their homes to these children right the way through to independence are currently being sought by the Fostering Service.

Respite Fostering

Respite foster care is time limited. A respite foster carer could care for a child for a week or two at a time, for example during school holidays, or at weekends – and could be the same child on a regular basis. Foster carers who offer respite fostering generally look after children who are already cared for on a full time basis by other foster carers. This respite period can benefit both the foster carer and the child.

A foster carer who is approved as a short term or long term carer can also provide respite care if they have the capacity.

Parent and Child Placements

Parents, particularly very young mothers, who are unable to meet the child's most basic needs and protect them, will sometimes need somewhere to live where they can be supported in looking after their baby or young child.

This type of foster placement can help a family to stay together, and is therefore highly valued. The foster carer would be asked to give practical and emotional support to help the parent to develop the skills required to meet their own and their child's needs. This will form part of an assessment period that is usually limited to a few months.

Contract Care

Some children's experiences have been so difficult or traumatic that they are unable to be cared for in a mainstream foster family. For example, the children may need to be supervised closely, have a medical condition that requires round-the-clock care, display challenging behaviour, or find it hard to form relationships.

With these children in mind, Worcestershire County Council has developed the Contract Care Scheme. Foster carers who provide care under this scheme will have substantial fostering experience or have worked in a childcare setting where they have developed the skills required to care for children with complex needs.

Children living with Contract Carers would have at least one carer at home full time. All Contract Care placements are time limited and carers approved for the scheme work closely with the child as a part of the team, towards goals agreed with the child's social worker.